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I always struggle with February. Somehow, having only twenty-eight days seems to make the month go by 28x faster! While tons happened in those twenty-eight days, one of the things I want to highlight in this Insider is the next wave of our 2017 Army Boxes.

Each of these Army Boxes contains a ready-to-play 50-point army, designed by the Privateer Press Development team to provide a solid foundation for new players or for veterans interested in diving into a new Faction. In this Insider, we’ll take a look at the Army Boxes for Skorne and Protectorate of Menoth, each of which takes a combined arms approach, utilizing both battlegroups and infantry to create powerful combos. But what better way to learn about these lists and the intentions behind them than hearing from the people who created them?

First up is the Skorne Army Box, which fellow Will—Will Pagani—and I brainstormed together. This new Army Box makes maximum use of Archdomina Makeda’s updated rules to cause the enemy serious issues in scenario play and in the attrition game.

Between Field Marshal [Shield Guard], Midwinter’s Arcane Vortex, the Krea’s Force Aura animus, and the Karax’s Shield Wall ability, this army can weather just about anything as it marches across the field to engage the enemy. The Karax alone can reach ARM 24 between Shield Guard, the Karax Officer’s Iron Zeal ability, and the Krea’s animus. While Shield Wall units can sometimes lag in terms of speed because they can’t run, the Quicken spell gives them a respectable SPD 8, not to mention DEF 14 versus ranged and magic attacks. The Swordsman Officer’s Power Swell ability lets the Swordsmen hit incredibly hard right when they need to. And Makeda’s feat just adds insult to injury, granting all models Retaliatory Strike and allowing her to keep her warriors alive as long as she has health to spare.

There are a few options when bumping this list from 50 points up to 75. You could, of course, enhance Makeda’s battlegroup by adding the demigod of death Molik Karn, the immovable object Tiberion, or the offensive punch of a Bronzeback Titan. Alternatively, you could opt to add in some more units to make the most out of Makeda’s feat. Cataphract Cetrati, Praetorian Ferox, or even some advance deploying Venator Slingers all provide additional tactics for you to use to rope-a-dope your opponent and set up your knockout punch.

The Protectorate of Menoth 2017 Army Box contains a well-balanced list focused on the strengths of Vice Scrutator Vindictus. Exemplar Errants give the list forward presence because of Advance Deployment, and with Defender’s Ward, they become a durable unit to pressure scenarios. Backed by Knights Exemplar and Visgoth Rhoven’s bodyguards, the list packs a substantial punch with a significant threat range, thanks to True Path. Rhoven himself brings excellent utility to the list with his spells Menoth’s Sight and Purifying Prayer. Sanctifiers will claim the souls of the fallen infantry to fuel themselves, allowing Vindictus a plethora of focus to cast his powerful but expensive support spells. With the increases to damage from the Choir, the Sanctifiers become heavy-hitting models that can act as a final wave for the list’s offensive potential.

Expanding on this box can go several ways. Flame Bringers synergize very well with the speed of the list, giving you a hard-hitting cavalry unit that utilizes the feat, Divine Protection, in addition to the True Path and Defender’s Ward spells very well. Adding some support options like the Covenant of Menoth or a Vassal of Menoth can give the list a few tricks to catch your opponent off-guard!